Not In New York
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Regina overhears Emma talking to Hook about New York. She confronts Emma about it resulting in a heart to heart about why Emma wants to leave. Emma and Regina as friends.


_Regina overhears Emma talking to Hook about New York. She confronts Emma about it resulting in a heart to heart about why Emma wants to leave. Emma and Regina as friends. _

_I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you like :) _

"I won't need it in New York."

Regina freezes as she hears those words. She watches as the pirate frowns before walking away. She was about to go join them all in the hospital room, to go meet the new baby properly but now all she can think about is Emma's words. Is she really planning to go back?

It makes no sense to her. She thought she and Emma had become friends and that they could be good co-mothers to Henry. She finally feels like she has a family and support and yet this whole time Emma has been secretly planning to go straight back to New York?

Regina knows the life she gave them was a good one. She ensured that. She wanted them to have good memories and a good life, she wanted to give Henry everything she could. If she couldn't be with him then she at least wanted to make sure he would be happy. She just thought that when they were all reunited they would stay together.

Yes, Storybrooke is a lot stranger than New York. It has its own unique dangers and problems. For Emma she has to be the saviour whereas in New York she can just be Henry's Mom. On some level Regina can understand why Emma might want to go back. She just never dreamed Emma would. She thought the blonde was done running. She thought they were done trying to take Henry from each other.

She, at least, thought that if Emma were ever considering this she would discuss it with her. After all they are both Henry's mothers. Regina respects Emma's rights as Henry's mother and she thought Emma felt the same way. Regina sighs wondering if she was wrong, if Emma's plan the whole time was just to take Henry and run without even telling her.

Regina seethes quietly at that thought. These people are her family or they are meant to be and yet Emma was just going to go?

She thinks again of Henry who earlier that day was looking at apartment listings and talking about going back and forth between her and Emma. _He doesn't know either. _At that her anger grows. Not only is Emma not talking to her about it but she hasn't even discussed it with Henry either. Regina frowns. Emma is making her mistakes. Regina once assumed things for Henry, deciding what he wanted and keeping secrets. That backfired. All that did was make her son resent her. She doesn't want Emma to end up in the same position.

Finally they were in a place where Henry could have it all. They haven't been bickering or fighting like enemies. They were in a place where Henry didn't have to choose her or Emma but could have them both. Finally they were at a point where Henry could have what he always wanted – his family with both his Moms.

She just can't believe Emma would take that all away.

Emma walks up to Regina noticing that the brunette hasn't come into the room with them.

"Hey, you coming in?" she asks.

Regina looks up at her with a scowl, "Are you planning to go back to New York?"

Emma flinches startled, "What?"

"I heard you talking to Hook," Regina says, "You want to go back?"

Emma sighs, "Look can we not do this here?"

"No," Regina says, "You don't get to run from this. Henry is our son. You've been talking to some pirate who has nothing to do with Henry about going back to New York but you won't talk to me or Henry? We're the people you should be discussing this with Emma! How could you do this?"

"We had a good life there Regina," Emma states.

Regina frowns, "I know. I gave it to you but it's not real Emma. This is Henry's home and yours too."

Emma frowns back, "Is it?"

"What?"

"This isn't my home Regina. It's not safe here for Henry. Every time we are here something puts him or us in danger. Back in New York we had a good safe life."

"Your argument is that it's dangerous here? Okay well in New York he could be kidnapped, run over, murdered, assaulted, robbed, need I go on? Everywhere can be dangerous Emma. Yes Storybrooke has its own unique dangers but we always save him Emma. We. Not you. You aren't his only parent."

"You can still see him," Emma argues weakly.

"When? Once every couple of months? It's not like you're moving across the street Emma! You're going to New York! How is this good for him?"

Emma frowns, "It is. I know what's best for him."

Regina sighs before stepping closer to Emma, "No you don't. I used to think that too but you know what lying to Henry and keeping secrets from him got me? Resentment and anger. Don't drag him away from here Emma because he doesn't want that. This afternoon he was looking at apartment listings for you and him so he could go back and forth between us. He finally has a life where he doesn't have to choose between you and me but can have both of us. Why would you take that from him?" she pauses before continuing, "You aren't thinking about what Henry wants. You're thinking about what you want."

"I am not."

"You are!" Regina cries exasperatedly, "You're running Emma. You're running. All I ask is that you don't make our son run with you."

Emma sighs sitting down on one of the cold hospital room chairs, "I am running but you don't know why."

Regina sits down beside her. She can see the sadness in Emma's eyes. As angry as she is at Emma she wants to understand why and if she can be a friend to this woman for Henry and for them so they can be a family. "Then tell me why. Why are you running?"

Emma looks over to the hospital room where Snow and Charming are gushing over their new baby, "They have the child they wanted. I'm happy for them. I am but all my childhood I got replaced or pushed aside. I never had a home and when I did I normally lost it due to them getting another kid. I don't have a home here Regina. Back in New York I felt like I had a home you know. There was no pressure. No-one expecting me to be saviour or a princess or anything else. It was just me and Henry and all I had to be was his Mom and whatever I wanted to be. Thank you by the way for giving that to me. It's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Regina smiles half-heartedly. She may have given Emma that life but she's also a big part of the reason why Emma grew up the way she did, "You're welcome," she says quietly, "And I'm sorry for the way you grew up."

"It's not your fault," Emma shrugs.

"But it is," Regina replies, "If it weren't for my curse you would never have gone through that wardrobe. You would have been a princess. You would have had everything and I'm truly sorry that you didn't get the childhood they had planned for you."

"I'm not."

"What?"

"Look here's the thing, my childhood sucked. It really sucked but without it we wouldn't have Henry and he's worth everything."

"He is," Regina says with a smile.

"I'm not trying to take him," Emma says, "I just want us to have that home again."

Regina pauses a moment before tentatively hugging the other woman, "Listen to me, I know you feel replaced or lost but you do have a home. It isn't in New York. You control your own destiny Emma. You don't want to be what they expect you to be? Then don't. Be who you want to be. Be Henry's Mom. Be their daughter. Be my friend. You were prophesised to be a saviour but you don't have to let it define you. Home is not in New York Emma. It's with all of us here in Storybrooke. Please don't run from that."

Regina moves to pull away from the hug but Emma pulls her closer. Finally someone asked her why. They listened. They made her feel like she didn't have to be anything more than what she was. She sighs hugging Regina before finally breaking away. She wipes a tear that dared fall from her eye before looking back to Regina, "I guess I need to find a place to stay."

_Thanks for reading :) _


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